This invention relates to air frame components and more particularly to a cooling system for wings and other components of planes and high-speed aircraft.
Planes, especially jets travelling at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, encounter substantial heat build-up on the leading edges of the wings and fuselage surface due to friction with the air. Such heat build-up results in only certain materials being usable for wings on such aircraft which can withstand the heat and be light enough for aircraft at the same time. This problem of heat build-up is particularly serious in the hypersonic aircraft and has been one of the major roadblocks to the perfection of a hypersonic airplane. Thus, there is a need for a cooling system which will reduce heat build-up on leading edges of wings and air frames when travelling at such high speeds.
The instant invention provides a cooling method and apparatus just for this purpose. There is no known prior art similar to the instant invention as it applies to leading edges of wings and other fuselage components. There exist refrigeration systems which might be utilized but such systems would add too much weight to aircraft. Contrary to these latter systems, the instant invention provides a cooling method and apparatus which is passive and lightweight. This method involves intaking air through valves on the leading edges of wings and fuselage surfaces, passing this air through a Venturi section consisting of converging and diverging nozzles and compressing it in a chamber within the wing or other aircraft component. When the air is sufficiently compressed within the chamber, the compressed air is then exhausted by passing it through the same Venturi section once again, or through a second Venturi section to the ambient air. In this manner, this invention yields a double cooling effect. One embodiment of the invention utilizes one valve which rotates to allow the intake and exhaust of air on a cycling basis. A second embodiment uses two spring-loaded or timed door-like valves, an intake valve at the leading edge and an exhaust valve in the bottom surface of the wing near the back. In the latter embodiment, the air entering the front valve passes through one Venturi section and enters a chamber where it is compressed. Once the air in the chamber has built up to sufficient pressure, it opens the back valve and the air passes through a second Venturi and out into the ambient airstream again. Thus, the second embodiment, in addition to creating a cooling effect, may also create a ram jet effect and thereby providing additional thrust or at least enough thrust to offset any drag caused by the effect of the front intake valve.
Thus, in this manner the instant invention provides a means of cooling the leading edges of wings and other aircraft components by passing ambient air at a velocity into valves through Venturi sections in the wings and other locations on the aircraft.